Tuesday, December 7, 2010

URGENT MESSAGE FROM MUSEUM'S PRESERVATION CHAIR.

The following message is posted to The Museum Community from Richard Hilton, Chair of the Preservation Committee of The Museum of the San Fernando Valley. Please read this message from the LA Conservancy.

Designed by noted architect Lloyd Wright -- the son of Frank Lloyd Wright -- and completed in 1959, the highly intact Moore House in Palos Verdes Estates is threatened with demolition.

The owners plan to construct a new house on this prime site overlooking the ocean. Since the house has absolutely no local protection, public outcry is essential in preventing its destruction.

Despite such an outcry in June from concerned citizens like you, the City of Palos Verdes Estates does not seem to be taking this issue seriously.

The draft environmental impact report (EIR) for the demolition and new residential project considers the Moore House eligible for listing as a historic resource. Yet it concludes that the house can't be feasibly renovated to meet the owners' needs for updated living space.

The EIR doesn't evaluate a single reuse alternative that would maintain the Moore House's eligibility for listing as a historic resource, despite an outpouring this summer of nearly 300 requests to do so -- and the fact that evaluating preservation alternatives is required by law under the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA).

PLEASE COMMENT BY FRIDAY AND GET ONE FRIEND TO DO THE SAME

Please take a few minutes now to let the City of Palos Verdes Estates know that the Moore House is an architectural treasure worth preserving. Even if you wrote a letter over the summer, we need your help again in order for community leaders to understand how many people care about the Moore House.

Although it should be in your own words and reflect your own experience, to be most effective, your letter should address the following points:

1) The Moore House is a rare and significant historic resource, designed by the nationally recognized architect Lloyd Wright (son of Frank Lloyd Wright), and is one of only two structures designed by him in the city of Palos Verdes Estates.

2) The draft EIR fails to identify and evaluate a single reuse alternative that would maintain the Moore House's eligibility as a historic resource. This is a clear problem, as the final EIR must include at least one true preservation alternative.

3) The Moore House can be modified and expanded in a sensitive way that would address preservation concerns as well as several of the owners' stated project goals. Yet no such alternatives have been seriously considered.

If you live in the City of Palos Verdes Estates, please emphasize that you are a local resident and that preserving the historically significant Moore House is important to the character of your city.

Please comment by December 10, and reference the draft EIR regarding 504 Paseo del Mar Project (the Moore House). And please ask a friend who shares your passion for our architectural heritage to write a letter as well.

Although commenting on the EIR by December 10 is the top priority, you can also submit a letter to the Palos Verdes Estates City Council, which will make the ultimate decision on the fate of the Moore House. Let them know that this architectural treasure needs to be preserved for future generations.

You can write to the City Council after December 10. Send your letter to